358 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



June 1, 1«'5;. 



by carelui and repealed washings after the root excepting the most industrious and enterprising, 

 has been ■rrated ; but the effects produced by who has been devoted to this pursuit alone, has 

 handling the root, are so unpleasant, that persons ever accomplished so much. He was commander 

 can with diffimilty be hired to conduct the neccs- of an army, an'l at the head of a nation for a few 

 sary operations. years only at a time, but a day never passed in 



The yam, (dliscona saHiaJ which grows in which his farm was out of his uiiiid. During the 

 considerable quantity in low and moist situations, whole war he was planning improvements, direct- 

 is an important article of diet to the peasants.— ing them, and often writing letters of minute in- 

 This root, however, does not attain in S'. Michael strufitions to his manager. Wliile President of the 

 the si,e thai it does in the West Indies, and some United States it was his standing custom to write 

 other places. weekly, and receive weekly returns, in which he 



Most of the fruits of Europe are found in all required great particularity and exactness in speci- 

 the Azores, excepting the apricot, peach, and fying occurrences, and the employment a!!\l prog- 

 plum ; the first of which, is productive only in rcss of the laborers. I have before me a volume 

 Fayal, and trie two last flourish in St. Michael of pres- copies of letters, written in one year, dirr- 

 only in some particular spots. Strawberries, ing the Presidency, to his manager and overseers, 

 blackberries, and a species of biUberry. called iiva Some of them extend to several pages, and they 

 (la sena, are abundant, but many attempts have in average more than one a week They are written 



leaves of that tree, that they will congregatad 

 them, and leave all other trees within one or. 

 hundred yards' distance untouched. A friel 

 horticulturist has sugensted fothe Editor thatjl 

 article alluded to might be the means of misoH 

 by inducing cultivators to raise those cherry-lj 

 and thus favor the multiplication of the insecti 

 furnishing them the sort of food to which i^ 

 pears they are most partial, — that gentlemeril 

 the neighborhood of Boston, vvlio were friendljj 

 fruit trees and have the interest- of agricultui| 

 heart, have taken great pains to extirpate tho4 

 cherry, endeavouring to procure its entire destO 

 tion in fields and forests, as well as in gardensj 

 orchards. 



It appears to us, liowevcr, that the article, pi 

 erly understood, may be of service. The chel 

 trees, as we understand the matter, are inteij 



K 01 •■" 



(29I. 

 jlij 1" 



vain been made to propagate the gooseberry and in his own hand, with its usually fair and regular .p,pj.|,]^ 33 decoys or traps to catch caterpilUiri 

 'currant. Oranges, swe"et"and sour" lemons, sweet character, and bear every mark of having been as 

 and sour limes, grapes, ban.-nas, melons, goivas, much studied in expicssion and style as any of his 



arracas, figs, pomegranates, prickly pears, the compositions. In some cases, and probably in most, jj^^j f^g^ -^n,) let them go at large, you becomi 

 large Spanish chesnut, and the English vvalnut, they were written and copied out by himself be. igj^^j-^g^tal in their propagation. It may be 



fectly correct to destroy ail the wild cherry tri 



B:t you mtist be careful to destroy the caterpill 

 en the trees, when they are taken. If you eg 



ire common in most of the islands. i foie the press impressions were taken. 



Many flowering plants and shrubs have been in- | Such was his habit for years, amidst the burden 

 troduced from other countries into the gardens, ' of his public cares. There is also before ms a cu- 

 in the larger islands, and, in the months of De- rious agricultural document, dated four days before 

 cember and January, the air is perfumed by the his death. It is a pamphlet of 24 folio pages, writ- 

 geraniums, myrtles and roses, then in full flower, ten in a close hand, containing instructions to his 

 The gardens of some of the foreign settlers are manager for the cultivation of three farms on the 

 d.aily becoming more interesting, and at present estate of Mount Vernon tlie following year. Each 

 some of them are adorned with the palm, dragon farm was divided into lots which were numbered, 

 tree, and. many tropical plants. The cofl'Ge tree ' In the pamphlet very full instructions are given 

 and sugar cane have in some instances, with care I how to cultivate ev?ry lot in the three farms.duriug 

 and attention, been productive, but are cultivated ; the next year, stating the crops, with remarks on 



chiefly as curiosities.- 

 of the .Azores, fyc. 



-Dr lViibste.r''s Description 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



BOSTON, FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 1827. 



the soil, the products of former years, and the re- 

 sults of former experiments. Washington died, 

 you will recollect, in the middle of December, an<I 

 this pamfdilet, drawn up evidently with much labor 

 and reflection, was already prepared to be handed 

 to the manager at the beginning of the year, pre- 

 faced by a letter of general directions on the im- 

 portance of method and forethought in farmir^g 



exce[)t those which can be used to allure calerfl 

 lars to destruction. But if we are not misinforn 

 the timber of the wiW cherry tree is valuable, ( 

 its bark useful in medicine. 



|(iniIJ 

 dDe 



(lit 



FOV. L MEADOW GRASS. 



?ilr Fesse.ndem — If you or some of your con 

 pendents would have the kindness to answer 

 questions named, {should you think thein woi 

 so much attention) you will otjlige at least one- 

 your subscrliiers. . 



1. What are the properties and uses of Folf) 

 Meadow Grass ? 



'i. What soil is best adajited to the-above Ci ;c\ss: 



3. Will It answ er, provided the soil be somctnuei 

 flowed by salt water .■' 



4. In what manner should the soil be prepared 

 for the reception of the seed .•' 



5. The quantity of seed to the aero ? 

 Your.o, With respect, 



Marshjicld, May 28. CH'S W. MACOr»IJjER. 



THE FARMER OF MOUNT VERNON 



Every person not profoundly ignorant of his : operations, and this, notwithstanding ho was him 

 country's annals, and who is at all conversant with self to be on the plantation, and exercise a daily 

 the characters of the leaders in the revolution supervision. 



which gave existence to these United States, must ! These instances are mentioned only as exam- 

 have been in the hiihit of contemplating General pies ; they indicate the habit, and it is unnecessary 

 Washlngton as an eminent agriculturist, as well , („ add more. For a time be kept an agricultural 

 as the man "7J(s< frt «'«/-,/)•«* iH peoce, ajid/w/ m journal, and was engaged in experiments on a 

 the hntrls of his couninjme7i.'" But few, however, rotation of crops, noting down for a series of years 

 could have supposed it possible that in the midst Hie crops of each lot. with remarks Qn the com- 

 of public avocations of more importance than ever paratire success of difffernnt rotations. He was 

 other man was engaged in,Gen.WASHi,NGTON could ot much pains to stock his farms with the best 

 have bestowed a particular attention to the details breeds of animals, and his grounds were adorned 

 of husbandry ; and have superintended and. direct- \ with rare and curinu<! trees and shrubs, collected 

 cd complex operations on several farms, at the | f.^u various parts of the United States, and from 



same lime that he presided ovej: the destinies of a , foreign countries. His rorresuondenre with Sir ; less swampy spots in the low parts of the Slate of 

 rising empire, in a novel, arduous, and hazardous John Sinclair, Mr Anderson and Arthur Younj. I New Jersey, h:ive been rendered valuable grai'.ing 

 career of military and political experiment. The ] on agriculture, has beon printed. It is not my grounds by this grass, loaiued wagons ii;ivinj' 

 following, copied from a " Letter from Mr Jared | intention to select much for puhlicntion un-^'er tliis I passed over places, which, two or three years be- 

 Sparks to the Hon. Judge Story," will present new I Jieatl, but such papers will he include !, and such fore sov.iug it, wouM scarcely permit an animal 

 inot;ves and fresh incentives to every cultivator to j illustrations appended, as will exiiibit in their due j to walk through without sinking. It mfikcs cx- 

 imitate the virtues and venerate the name of proportions the chanctei of N^'asliington on his icellent hay, and cattle are said to prefer it to that 



Reinarl-t hy the Editor. — The grass, which, in 

 New England is called J<'oul Mcuduu: (sometimes 

 Fowl-Mtadow) Grass is called in the soulliern 

 states Herd Grass and White Top. It is thus des- 

 cribed in the second American edition of AVilhch's 

 Domestic Encyclopedia, vol. ii. page 208 : 



" Dr Muhlenberg thinks this grass is the .%ro»- 

 tis siric'a of Wilcsjnow. It is particularly a.hipt- 

 ed to wet low giounds- It mats and consolidates 

 the surface, continues many years, excluding 

 every other grass and all weeds. Many worth- 



Washikoto.n. 



AGIiICl.'l.TnRAL TAPEUS. 



There was no station in which Washington 

 took more delight, or the duties of -which he iiis- 

 chargcd with more /.eal and activity, than that of 

 a practical farmer. His achievements in this walk 

 were pru:'iiio'js. It may fairly ho questioned, 

 whether any other indiri-lual in the conntrv, not 



{farm, and his attention to the humble concerns ot i made of either clover or tiinolhy. It is more sue 

 life. culent than timothy, though not so coarse. Tlie 



same bulk of the hay of this grass will weigii one 

 thiril more than that ot timothy hay. F'our tons 

 is a common crop for one acre. It yields no sec- 

 oiidcrop, but affords excellent late and caily pns- 

 It was first hrouglit to New Jersey frem 

 :,:!-i'itl l.'v the late Vt'illiam Fosli.-r. who 



CATERPILLARS AND THE BIRD CHERRY. 



In the current volume of the Net\ Pnsrland Farm- 

 er, pa?e :-!I4. an article was republished, recom- 

 mending to plant the Bird Cherry, (Prn>:us Pndm) \ J'^'^j.^ 

 in orchards, as a place of resort for c.-iterpiP ir- : ,-.,., 

 .■;s tiiose insects have such a partiality ftrl'' 



